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Saturday, December 7, 2013

Assignment: Kyoto - Part 5

Walking solo..After a good fill at breakfast, I planned a walk towards the Southern side of Takaragaike park and ended up in Kitayama.It was a breezy walk towards the Kyoto Botanical Garden and I ended up at the Takagamine Post Office before backtracking towards Takaragaike-Dori.What I found interesting was the fact that the roads are quite clean.I came up to bridge linking Kitayama to the mid-town area along the Kamo river.There were walking paths along the riverbank and as I proceeded towards Takagamine, it was already mid-day.

Takaragaike park with Mount Heiai in the background

At the beginning of the Kitayama boulevard

An unusually long road name

The park and walkway along the Kamo river

The importance of footwear and footcare...If you intend to walk long distances, be sure to get a pair of good shoes.It should be stable and has good cushioning.My shoes had spelled trouble since the day we landed in Kyoto.It was so stiff, me left heel started to develop a large blister.I had to cut it open to relief the pressure inside it and that really hampered my movement.On the average, I walked about 15,000 steps on my holidays.This particular solo-walk, I clocked-in about 25,000 steps. It was my all-time high record.So, that said, a pair of good shoes is on my shopping list. Setting a target: back to Takaragaike before mid-noon.

My stomach was rumbling and mid-way past a subway station which is only two stops away from the Kokusaikaikan station, I went to a convenience store to get some instant noodles.I also loaded up on an isotonic drink.You can get bottles of Pocari Sweat (like our 100Plus in Malaysia) for about 150 Yen.I continued to walk towards Takaragaike with Mount Heiai as my bearing.

A local bikestore

Commuter bikes on sale

Bicycle lights powered by dynamos is a favourite in accessory in Japan

I lugged a plastic bag with my lunch and slowly walked towards the beginning of the Takaragaike boulevard.My landmark was an Indian restaurant.It took me about 20minutes to get there from the Matsugasaki station and when I finally reached the Kokusaikaikan station, I made a pit stop at the Lawson convenience store.There, I loaded up with a piece of fried chicken to line my stomach.Slowly, I made my way towards the hotel and prepared some instant noodles for late tea.With all the formal stuff done, Michelle was invited to a private dinner in the downtown area.Her friend Astley from NACE Malaysia celebrated his birthday..

Peaceful: water flow on the Kamo river

Colours of Fall..

Walking paths as such in Kyoto are well-planned

Michelle in the downtown area

My Soba meal for dinner..

We stayed in a luxury hotel near the Kyoto International Convention Centre that is perpetually filled every night.

And it was our last night there, so, we've made preparations to move to the downtown area where I had booked a stay in a traveler's inn.

The Takaragaike experience was awesome as it was such a laidback area. We will spend another night in Kyoto before moving on to Osaka.